The Nation Newspaper

Tag: women

  • NGOs inspire grassroots women in Anambra

    NGOs inspire grassroots women in Anambra

    It was not about giving rice and stew condiments. Women, especially those at the grassroots in Anambra were encouraged to take their fate in their own hands.

    Non-governmental organisations or NGOs preferred to provide inspiration, rather mere food. They told the women to play more roles in governance and take up life-enhancing jobs that will lift their profiles.

    At the forefront of the drive is Development in Practice (DIP), an NGO, which organised the event.

    The women came from different communities in the state which took place at Udoka Housing Estate in Awka, the state capital.

    The programme was entitled, “Coaching Anambra Women Towards Political Participation and Success”.

    Other non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) that were present included Voice to the People (V2P) funded by UK aid, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Civil Rights Concern (CRC) and Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), all these centres are at Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi.

    It drew participants from various  political parties in the state, with women leaders turning up from several communities.

    Beneficiaries of previous sessions of the programme who now hold political offices shared their experiences at the event.

    Tochukwu Ibe, technical adviser to DIP, said the meeting aims to achieve increased participation and representation by women and adolescent girls in informal and formal decision-making structures in the state.

    In her paper-presentation, on formal and informal opportunities for women in leadership, the chief Executive Officer of (DIP), Ojobo Atuluku highlighted the opportunities women have both at the formal and informal levels to make governance work better.

    She pointed out that a leader is not just that woman or man who is placed at the fore front, but that who can convince people to be part of a process.

    Atuluku further charged the participants to develop the charisma and the ability to stand out in the crowd such that whatever they do will attract the positive attention on on-lookers and the public.

    Also, Dr. Chris Abakare of the Department of Philosophy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka delivered a paper entitled “the relationship between Governance, Constituency and Candidacy”.

    He drove them to what makes the good and bad governance as well as drawing examples from Nigeria and other parts of Africa and indeed the world.

    Agada Abah, Programme analyst with DIP in his paper, “Contesting in an election”, pointed out the step by step approach to winning in an election.

    He encouraged women to build support and good character to enable them make positive challenge in their endeavours as well as wining the hearts of the people even when they are not contesting election.

    The women also, were made to know that they can make a mark only if they are transparent and have performance in their minds.

    Meanwhile some of the participants told the Nation that they will abide by the rules of the game.

    Onyinye Okongwu of the All Progressive Congress, who is the State Woman leader of the party said they would go further to the remote areas in the state to sensitize the rural women.

    Also, her colleague Chikodi Nnonyelu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) told the Nation that the issue is not participation but implementation.

    She said she would brief the rural women in the communities of the need for them to be active in politics, adding that they would no longer allow the men to run the political offices.

    Politician s over-heating the polity with their utterances

     

  • August, a time women build

    August, a time women build

    Some now snicker, but August has remained a remarkable month in Igbo land. It is a time women gather, assess their challenges and those before their communities and start resolving them. So many health centres have been built after the August convergence. Dilapidated schools have been touched up and brought back to life. Intractable feuds have also been settled at the gathering and everyone returned home cheerfully.

    In Imo State, the women are counting down to this year’s edition. Many will come in from every part of the world and join their home counterparts in every local government area of the state, with the wife of the governor playing a prominent role. It lasts through the month.

    Preparing for the August meeting is no mean task, especially for the average woman who will strive to keep up appearance. It is also a trying time for the men as they have to work hard to meet the needs of their wives. This is because their husbands’ social and economic status is reflected in the women’s appearance during the August meeting.

    Indeed, this has provided critics with barbs to throw at the August meeting backers. They say quite a measure of vanity has slipped into the annual convention and that the women have found a whole month to flaunt their real or imagined clout and glamour.

    Still, no one can deny that out of the yearly get-together have come many dividends. For instance, most community projects like health centres, markets, schools, women development centres and settling of some frictions among some members of the various communities or members of a household are often conceived and funded by women groups after every August meeting.

    Women have been identified as agents of development and during such large gatherings, communal challenges like poverty, diseases and sometimes communal crisis are tackled by the women who usually influence their husbands to assist in community development projects.

    The August meeting, which is compulsory for all women, also affords the women the opportunity to re-unite after years of separation and build stronger ties between the women at home and those based abroad.

    Also, misunderstandings and business matters involving Igbo women in the cities are resolved during August meetings and appropriate punitive measures are taken to discourage acts that could endanger the unity of the women.

    It is also during the meetings that issues of scholarship to deserving brilliant but indigent students and empowerment programmes for widows and other vulnerable women in the society are conceived and implemented.

    The beauty of the August meeting is that it helps to bring the people together to tackle their problems unanimously under the Igbo aphorism Igwebuike or unity is strength.

    Some regret that the annual convergence is not quite what it used to be. They say manipulative politicians may have hijacked the fixture to further their interests. It is also said that governors’ wives have become too visible, and that the meeting has become no more than political assemblies. The women are also said to seize the opportunity to show off their good looks, wealth and even power.

    Another regrettable deviation in the August meeting is the high expenditure involved in the preparation of the month-long event. Average women are forced by peer pressure to borrow money or pressurise their husbands to do so in order to meet up the standard set by the politicians.

    It is also painful that with the introduction of partisan politics in the running and organisation of the gathering, most people with different political views are no more comfortable to attend or allowed to fully participate in the proceedings.

    No everyone is a critic. Commenting on the gains of August meeting, Sir Peter Okala, a community leader, said the gathering together of the women will lead to the galvanisation of ideas for the future and development of the various communities where the women belong to. It is good that women gather to share ideas and experiences.

    He said: “When great minds gather, they can canvass for peace and development in the society. It is highly important for people to come together, not just the women but also the men and youths to brainstorm the challenges confronting the society.”

    He, however, added that, “but one major disadvantage is allowing the gatherings to be sponsored by mischievous politicians who hijack it to cause disunity and disaffection. Some of the women who could ordinarily not afford to attend the meeting can go to extremes to attend in order to show off, a situation that has resulted in some married women doing all manner of evil just to meet up. They now attend the meeting for the mere reason of showing off their cars, clothes and jewelries.

    “It is also significant to note that after August meetings, most families are thrown into chaos because the women return home to mount pressures on their husbands after the display of wealth they were exposed to during the August meeting.”

    For Mrs. Grace Ejerenwa, a woman leader in Mgbidi, Oru West Local Government Area of Imo State, something urgent should be done to reposition the August meeting in order to achieve the set goals of the founding members. This is so because the concept, she said, has been swallowed by partisan politics.

    She said: “August meetings these days are no longer what we used to know them for. In the yesteryear, every woman is allowed equal opportunity to contribute her idea towards solving the problems of the community. No one was discriminated against or anyone treated as a sacred cow.

    “All women were equal and spoke in one voice. But today, many families discourage their women from participating in August meetings due to the non- pleasant results which had led to the breakdown of many families.”

    She further said that religious groups that now frown at the conduct of the women during the gatherings have also withdrawn majority of their members from attending the meetings.

    “Most churches now see August meeting as a sinful gathering which is attended by all manner of evil and as such bar their women from participating. It has actually turned to political jamboree, where the rich and fortunate ones intimidate the poor women among them,” she said.

    A clergyman, Reverend Mathias Izuka called for a return to the old ways of organising the August meeting.

    “In the past, our women were always eager to return home to be part of the event. The men are also happy to release their wives to be part of the event but this is no longer so because politicians have hijacked the August meeting,” he said.

    For instance, the grand finale of last year’s August meeting in Imo State which was held at the Heroes Square, was a huge political gathering; with the state Governor, Rochas Okorocha and his cabinet members in attendance.

    A quick look at the women in attendance revealed that they were all powerful and successful women who could fit into the power play and open display of material wealth of the day.

    There were no widows or indigent women in the forefront. The few that might have summoned the courage to attend were “swallowed” by the euphoria of the event, leaving one to ponder if August meetings are still tools for community development in the hands of Igbo women.

    Although at the event, Governor Okorocha showered praises on the women for their resilience, steadfastness, creativity and accommodating spirit, he said August meeting under his watch has seized to be some sort of political jamboree, adding that his administration has evolved some innovations with a view to adding value to the gathering of families, communities and the entire people of the state.

  • I’m too focused to be tempted by women

    I’m too focused to be tempted by women

    For almost three decades, Funsho Adeolu has devoted his whole life to his first love: acting. No wonder, he is one of the celebrated crossover actors in the nation’s movie industry, otherwise called Nollywood. The father of two, who is also a singer, shot into the limelight after he featured in a soap opera titled Palace. In this interview with DUPE AYINLA-OLASUNKANMI, he talks about his career and marriage, among other issues.  

    WHAT have you been doing lately?          I’m an actor and I am also into directing. I am not a producer; so, basically, I have been acting. I do more of professional stuff.

    Most of your colleagues are also into movie productions. So, why are you different?

    It is only in the Yoruba movie genre that this happens. I am a professional. But because most of them do not understand the difference between an actor and a producer, everyone goes into production. Some think that is the only way they can be recognised, while others feel they can make more money through it. I was brought up from the scratch. The training I had then is: if you want to be a producer, it is a different thing.  And if you want to do all the three, it shouldn’t be because everybody is doing it. They don’t even make as much money as we make as actors.

    Are you saying that for one to be a producer, one has to quit acting?

    No. I’m only saying that if you want to be a producer, you have to be a trained person. If you are not trained, then, you must have a purpose for wanting to do it. It should not be a case of everybody is doing it and then you also want to do it. In the English movie sector, you will notice that everybody is not doing that. But it is majorly in the Yoruba movie genre because they want to be known or the producers are not featuring them in their movies. Also, they believe that if you don’t produce, you have not got to the big level. Somebody like me can’t be producing because I can’t do something below my standard; I can just spend money on a project and it does not go well. The industry now is not conducive for me to produce a movie. So, if I end up spending big money on a movie and the marketers tell me any ‘story’ then, it is bad market.

    If we have the new ones producing in the name of fame, what are people like you doing to retain the dignity of the industry?

    I only get to talk to the ones who are close to me. It is unfortunate. But because I have those who look up to me, I try to make them understand the rudiments of the job. Our association is not encouraging at all and it is sad because they feel that you must be a producer to be recognised. They see it as a child going through the stages of life: going to the secondary school, going to the higher institution and then getting married. So, it is like that here. There is no platform for them to understand those things.

    Why has the association not provided an academy for them to train these young ones?

    There is no such thing and that is the reason we have them churning out rubbish as movies. The only way they can understand that they are part of the industry is to produce a movie someday. Even abroad, some do these things together, but it is not compulsory. But the major thing is we do not have an association right now that can tackle such a problem.  What I am saying, in essence, is that we don’t have an umbrella.

    But there is a new association now…

    (Cuts in) What is the new association about?  It is just the break-away of the same set of people in ANTP. So, we still have the same set of people in the new association.

    Are you saying you do not belong to any association?

    I am an actor. I was part of the ANTP when it was still in existence. I am also a member of LAMTAP, AGN and I did not disassociate from them. It is not compulsory for me to be a member of the ANTP. For some people, if you are an actor and you can speak any language, you can belong to any of the associations. I am a member of the AGN, though I speak Yoruba. We have some people in the AGN who are also acting in Yoruba movies too. What we need is a body that will cover Nigeria. All these associations will not help. The more they emerge, the more trouble. So, that is the reason nobody wants to be under anybody; rather, they all want to be oga on their own. Yet, they are all doing the same thing.

    There was a period you seemed to have stayed away from the Yoruba movie sector. What happened during that period?

    But I am sure you are still seeing me in soaps. My job is to act and I am doing that. It does not really matter the ones that I appear in. People are always saying that. But I am on location every week and there is no month I don’t get work, even now that I have decided to do more of soaps.

    Why the decision to do more of soaps at this stage of your career?

    For me, soaps are greater education and are more rewarding, in terms of finance.

    Having spent many years in the industry, how have you been able to stay out of scandals?

    Well, I really can’t say. I am a very flexible person. I am also someone who does not believe in the present, but the future. I cannot do something now that I know will affect my future 10 years from now. My name is more important than fame and money. I also cannot do something that will affect my children’s future. I want them and my other generations to look back and be able to be associated with the name when I am no more. I don’t think of what I want to gain now in everything I do. Rather, I consider what I intend to do now.

    With your looks, are you saying there have not been temptations from the opposite sex?

    The temptations do not come from my own side; it can only come from the women. But I don’t know what they can offer me that will make me fall. I am too focused to allow such things catch my attention. If you are giving me something or offering me something, then it must be what I am working for and not just on a platter of gold. I am not the materialistic type, so you cannot entice me with money. I am satisfied with what I have worked for. Even before I got married, I was principled. Coping with advances from female fans is a regular event in everybody’s life. But God has been helping me to scale through. I don’t get carried away because all that glitters is not gold. They either stay as fans and friends or they go away.

    Having been married for a decade, what would you say is the secret of your successful union?

    I would say God and understanding. Maybe because before I got married, we started with God. So, that is the reason we have been able to sustain it this far. I think it is the reason one expects what is happening in the industry now. So, I am really not surprised when I hear of them. I am not saying I am happy it is happening, but how can you marry someone you don’t know? Somebody comes from abroad with money and then you just go ahead and marry such a person, when you don’t know what he is doing over there. And most times, these guys make a bet that they will get a particular lady. It is not as if they are in love. Even outside the industry, it is like that. Marriage is a learning process. But in all, it is God.

    Marriage is like a training ground and you learn every day. It is a school, where you are taught so many things like perseverance and the ability to understand people, most especially your wife. It has the ability to change your outlook and behavioural pattern. One has to be very careful and hold on to one’s marriage, no matter the situation. You should know that whatever happens is just temporary; the resolution comes with compromise and understanding. Couples should endeavour to communicate because it is very important. If you feel bad about something, discuss it with your spouse and let it go.

    Have you been in a situation where your wife quarrelled with you over a female fan?

    Never! She is used to that. Besides, I had been acting before we met. She is also a popular person. So, such things do not really get to her.

    I know you are also into music. But have you considered doing it professionally?

    It is just a hobby; I just love to sing and dance. Even if I plan to do something with it, it is not for the monetary gain. So, it is just for fun. If I wanted to do it since, I would have made more money in it than acting. But I can’t do two things at a time.

    Your role in the movie, Cobweb, has been described as outstanding. What makes that role different?

    Well, as an actor, when you are given a script, you want to do your best. It was the director who called me and not even Foluke (Daramola), the producer of the movie. He insisted that he saw something in me. You know, when somebody has so much confidence in you, you don’t want to go below his expectations. That was what happened in that movie. And again, any role I am being given, I do it to the best of my ability because I don’t know who will be watching. It might be the first time of seeing me, so I must do it right.

    Aside acting, are you into other engagements?

    I do anything entertainment, from MCing to presenting; so, I am booked every weekend.

    What is your opinion on artistes who have been linked to one scandal or another being appointed brand ambassadors?

    They are just acting with the way Nigeria is at the moment. Everybody is a thief and fraudster. As somebody said: “A truthful person cannot survive.” You just have to join them before you can be given a chance. But for somebody like me, I have decided to be good for myself and not Nigeria. This is because I know that someday, Nigeria will see the good in the people doing good.

    For those getting endorsements with such qualities, maybe the companies feel they are the people that the public read about; so, they prefer to use them. All I know is that if you know how to do good, just continue. You see, endorsements will come and you will spend the money. But the good life will always come from God.

    Is any of your children taking after you?

    Well, my first boy loves singing and dancing and he is doing pretty good at it. But if he wants to be an actor, he can go ahead.

    But would you encourage him, with your opinion about the industry?

    If the industry was not good, I would have quit. So many things are happening in the industry and I can say it is one of the best things that can happen to you as an actor because you will be there forever if you are good. The bad time will be there and when the good times also come, you will still be there, except you are not good. So, I will encourage him to go into it, if he likes it.

  • Access Bank backs rising influence of women in business

    Access Bank backs rising influence of women in business

    •N2b for women empowerment 

    Access Bank Plc has said the crucial roles that women played in the economic and social life of the country could be at risk unless women are championed and supported in their role in shaping the country’s future.

    Speaking during the International Women’s Day, its Group Managing Director, Herbert Wigwe said women needed to be treated with equity and justice. “Equality for women is progress for all. It’s a future that we believe in. We recognise that empowering women empowers the whole nation where men or women are not judged by their gender but talents; where they have equal access to bank accounts, loans, mortgages or businesses. This sums up the future that all of us at Access Bank are committed to,” he said.

    Through the bank’s Gender Empowerment (GEM) programme they extended N2 billion in financing to women-owned businesses to promote gender equality and empowerment. Access Bank also plans to launch a new online programme and product to boost grassroots women interest in business. “The W”, as it is called would support a network of women from around the world, who want to be inspired, connected and empowered.

    W is about the WOMAN. “The W” is designed to be an interactive online community designed to inspire, promote and connect women; in ways you won’t find in the mainstream, no matter what you do, where you are and who you bank with.

    Ope Wemi-Jones, the head of Women Banking in Access Bank Plc, while discussing how Nigerian banks can help propel the businesses of women in Nigeria, said “I am delighted to announce this programme as women account for one-third of small- and medium-sized enterprises and yet banks grant them only a fraction of the available credit. This discrepancy exists even though women have proven themselves to be profitable bank customers and have a strong track record when repaying loans and a higher savings ratio”.

    She added that the “The W experience will complement our new women-focused products by seeking to provide women with information, networking opportunities and privileges that enhance their lifestyles, and helps them build their career and businesses”.

    It said that many countries around the world are making efforts to bridge the gap between men and women in business adding that in Nigerian, women representation in business has improved but more has to be done. Women constitute 30 per cent of the bank’s board, which is impressive by international standards. We want to lead from the front in seeing that change.

    The bank believes in women whose boldness spur others into action like the richest woman in Africa Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija; the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the first female chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar and Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, who is a seasoned business woman that made her first million Naira when she was only twenty-four years old. It said the success of such women has provided opportunities for other women entrepreneurs to thrive on.

    For instance, Isikan Edet, a business woman with a background in finance, said that she gained her inspiration from the success story of Mrs. Folorunso Alakija. She said the future of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as it relates to women involvement will be determined by the next phase of policies that banks will seek to pursue adding that these policies allow less stringent qualifications in seeking for loan for businesses then there will be massive growth in the sector.

    A survey by Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index found that female start-ups are on the rise in emerging markets. In the African countries surveyed, 69 per cent of the female population identified the opportunity to start a business.

    Female startup activity in the region stood at 86 female to every 100 male startups. The data also showed three quarters of the 30 countries surveyed do not have the most fundamental conditions required for female entrepreneurs to prosper. Nigeria is a high performer in terms of percentage of female managers, but is weaker when it comes to access to education and finance and overall ranks in the lower bracket of the countries studied.

  • ‘Women, kids in Boko Haram caves’

    ‘Women, kids in Boko Haram caves’

    Women and children  are bearing the brunt of the activities of Boko Haram in the Northeast. Many of them are languishing in caves and hills where the sect has confined them, reports 

    When  Boko Haram invaded her village last year, the Islamist extremists burned the churches, destroyed Bibles and photographs and forced Hamatu Juwanda to renounce Christianity.

    “They said we should never go back to church because they had brought a new religion,” the 50-year-old said. “We were going to be converted to Islam.”

    The head of the village, a Muslim, presented her with a thick nylon hijab to cover her head and renamed her Aisha.

    She submitted, smarting with rage. Women who didn’t wear the hijab were beaten.

    “When I went to the market, I wore the veil,” she said. “But at home, I took it off and prayed.”

    The gunmen returned time after time to the village of Barawa, shooting people, burning houses and wearing down the resistance of the villagers.

    In September, the attackers came again: 30 turbaned men with covered faces, big guns and camouflage clothing. Juwanda’s husband tried to flee but was shot in the chest and killed.

    Horrors became commonplace for Juwanda: She saw a young man shot in the head as he fled along a rural track. She watched a neighboring woman weep bitterly as gunmen abducted her with her children.

    “She was crying, but they told her not to,” Juwanda said. “The leader of the group told her, ‘If you cry, it’s useless. If you don’t cry, it’s useless.’ ”

    In the last year, the government has lost control of vast swaths of the country’s northeast to Boko Haram with barely a fight. In a military-style campaign, the extremist militia has raised its black flag over villages, driven Christians from their farmland and houses, and dragged people from cars at roadblocks, killing “infidels.”

    Boko Haram’s insurgency has killed 12,000 people and shattered the northern economy. Schools have been shut down because of attacks that have seen hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped and schoolboys burned alive in their dormitories.

    The crisis encapsulates Nigeria’s myriad problems: its poor governance, its corruption, its abject neglect of the mostly Muslim north, which for years has been the poorest region of the country.

    The military’s violent, scattershot approach to the insurgency alienated the public and helps explain how Boko Haram was initially popular in its sweep through the northeast.

    Support for Boko Haram has waned as its attacks on civilians have grown more ruthless. But Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, and the military, lacking the capacity and apparent will to resolve the security crisis, remain deeply unpopular in the north.

    Nigeria spends $5.2 billion a year on security, but because of endemic corruption, much of that doesn’t make it to the military’s coffers.

    “The army is unable to fight the war. The police are unable to maintain security,” said Clement Nwankwo of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Center, a think tank in the capital, Abuja.

    “To me there are only two responses. Military force: Subdue them. And good governance. You’ve got to deliver development. You’ve got to end corruption. That’s what brings it to an end.”

    The attacks by the militants intensified last month.

    When Boko Haram assaulted a village called Attagara, Michael Yohanna said he and others begged military commanders to defend it.

    “They said they had not been given a command,” said Yohanna, an activist in the town of Gwoza. “Even as the attack was going on, they never came.” He said at least 150 people were killed in Attagara.

    “As I’m talking to you now, no army has entered there,” he said. “The insurgents came in military vehicles with an armored personnel carrier. They went to the central church and ordered a man to gather people. Then they just shot them.

    “Women and children are just languishing in the caves and hills,” he said. “There’s no food. The insurgents looted all the food, they looted all the property.”

    Haruna Zanga, 63, a farmer from a village called Gavva West, was lying outdoors on a mat when Boko Haram came in March last year. He was slow to see the danger. By the time he was running, militants were chasing close behind him in their SUV. He vaulted a wall into someone’s house, but the gunmen shot him four times.

    “When they shot me, I just fell down. They thought I was dead,” he said. “They shot and killed four other people that day.”

    As he recovered in a hospital in the northern city of Maiduguri, an old acquaintance who was a Muslim butcher offered a chilling warning.

    “He told me to leave. He said, ‘Don’t go back to Gavva West, because if you go there, people are coming to attack that place.’

    “I was terrified, but what could I do? I was feeling that they were wicked people bent on destroying society.”

    The butcher told Zanga that the mountains near Gwoza were full of caves packed with Boko Haram insurgents.

    When he returned to Gavva West a month later, the attacks worsened. His grandson Peter Biye, 18, was abducted and killed for refusing to convert to Islam. Many girls and women were also taken.

    In September, insurgents surrounded and attacked the village at dusk, killing nine people. They burned 300 houses, leaving only 26 standing. Zanga and most other villagers fled the next day.

    Zanga and dozens of others from the Gwoza area fled to Fuga village in the central part of the country, where they have been offered refuge and land.

    “The last attack was the worst,” Zanga said. “They burned the houses. Mine was the first one they burned.”

    As Christian families left Barawa one by one, Juwanda stayed as long as she could, clinging to her house and land, but the attacks grew more frequent. The last straw was witnessing the abductions of women.

    When she finally fled the village in May, she was so petrified that she forgot to take the only photo of her brother, her last surviving sibling. It was hidden under a mattress so the militants wouldn’t see it.

    She crossed the border into Cameroon. As soon as she reached safety, she tore off her black-and-white-checked hijab, felt cool air on her throat and breathed free.

    She was safe.

    “I was very happy,” said Juwanda, who later made her way to Abuja. “I felt the good, fresh air as if I’d come to a marvelous place I could hardly imagine.”

    Juwanda is relieved to have escaped Barawa. But she remembers the things she lost: her husband, her small plot of farmland, her house, her Bible, all her clothes, a beaded cross she used to wear before she was forced to take it off.

    And the photograph of her brother.

     

  • ‘Town leaders have sold women’s farmlands’

    ‘Town leaders have sold women’s farmlands’

    The men have had their way but one woman, at least, is speaking out against their action. Since leaders of Amankwo Eke Town Union in Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State, sold 20 acres of land to an industrialist, Chief Loretta Aniagolu, an activist and politician, has continued to oppose the sale. Aniagolu, a two-time governorship aspirant in the state, argues that the sale has denied women their right to farmlands, considering that in the community it is mostly women who farm. The men mostly tap wine from palms. She also believes the land sale underscores the aged practice of overlooking women’s inheritance rights.

    The executives of Amankwo Town Union sold off the land to an industrialist for the purpose of building a factory. Aniagolu questioned the logic and propriety of selling the vast land without considering that majority of the women of the Eke community directly depend on land for sustenance.

    She said she was not against establishing an industry in the area, only that selling off such a vast area would deprive the women of the community of their source of livelihood.

    Her protest was dismissed by the leaders of the community on the grounds that women in Igbo land have no say in matters relating to land. They advised her to “shut up” and mind her business as the community had already taken its decision.

    She went to court, not to challenge the sale of the land but for the court to declare whether or not females have a say in matters relating to land in Igbo land, particularly Amankwo Eke in Udi. The case came up on Monday for Judgement at the Enugu High Court.

    At the court, a group of women led by Mrs. Joy Ada Onyeso, president of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom were conspicuous in their red T-shirts with the inscription “Bring Back Our Girls”. .

    Onyeso spoke to our correspondent, saying: “This is a very interesting case because the case borders on the relevance of women in the society.  The case involves one of our partners, Chief Lorreta Aniagolu.  The thing about the case is that it is about the executives of the town union selling land to a man that wants to build a factory in Udi and they sold to him 20 hectares of land. Probably she is saying that…for prosperity case.  The critical thing for that case is because of the argument that she is a woman and she has no right to bring the case to court and she has no right to be in the decision making body of the community and that is very critical.

    “There was recent ruling by the supreme court that women have a right in whatsoever community to inherit both at common law and traditionally and for us, it is very very critical for a woman to be deprived of such right, and that’s why we are here in solidarity to hear what the judge has to say.  The case has been going on for a while now and today was supposed to be the final judgement.  However, the court could not sit today; it was postponed to the 30th of this month. So, on the 30th, we will be here again to listen to what the judgement will be.

    “This is a very interesting case because the case borders on the relevance of women in the society.  The case involves one of our partners, Chief Lorreta Aniagolu.  The thing about the case is that, it is a case about the executives of the Town Union selling land to a man that wants to build a factory in Udi and they sold to him 20 hectares of land. Probably she is saying that …for prospecting.  The critical thing for that because she is a woman she has no right to bring the case to court and she has no right to be in the decision making body of the community and that is very critical.

    “There was a recent ruling by the supreme court that women have a right in whatsoever community to inherit both at common law and traditionally and for us it is very, very critical for a woman to be deprived of such right, and that’s why we are here in solidarity to hear what the judge has to say.  The case has been going on for a while now and today was supposed to be the final judgement.  However, the court could not sit today; it was postponed to the 30th of this month. So, on the 30th we will be here again to listen to what the judgement will be.”

     

  • Relief for women, youths

    Relief for women, youths

    •Nenadi Usman distributes jobs tools

    A NEW world has opened for women and youths in the southern part of Kaduna State. Many of them can now set up  businesses and no longer have to gnash their teeth in misery or beg to eat.

    They came from different parts of the eight local government areas that make up Kaduna south Senatorial district to taste of the dividends of democracy promised them by their senator, Esther Nenadi Usman, during her campaign. For some of them, it was a dream come true. For some others, it was an opportunity to earn a living without having to rely on anybody.

    The ceremony was the presentation of jobs tools to some women and youths at the Kafanchan Township stadium by Usman who represents Kaduna South at the Senate.

    She told the gathering that the distribution of the items was in fulfillment of her campaign promise.

    “The Southern Kaduna people may wish to recall that in the year 2010 during my electioneering campaigns, I promised you that if elected, I was going to give the Kaduna South Senatorial District qualitative, effective and consultative representation at the Senate,” she said. “I also promised to empower as many women and youths as possible within the zone”.

    At an elaborate ceremony which took place at the Kafanchan Township Stadium and attended by the state governor, Mukthar Ramalan Yero and a host of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) top brass from Southern Kaduna and beyond, Senator Usman gave out 19 cars, 106 tricycles and 368 motorcycles in addition to welding and vulcanising machines, automobile diagnostic  machines, among others, to her constituents.

    She said the items cost N81.3 million, disclosing that 86 women and youths who benefitted from the scheme were trained by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

    Sixteen beneficiaries received starter packs in interior decoration; 18 in fashion design; 18 in hair dressing; 18 in welding machines; 12 GSM repair kits; 16 electrical installation starter packs; 12 plumbing and fittings tools and 12 computer sets. In addition, about 45 cooperative societies were given N100,000 each as soft loan.

    Senator Usman who has come under serious attack from her people in recent time used the event to dismiss claims of abandonment leveled against her by a few vocal people in the area as she went down memory lane in what appeared to be a period of stock taking.

    She told them: “In the course of my campaigns, I noticed the difficulty faced by our people as a result of the inadequate and non-availability of potable drinking water, unemployment and medical challenges amongst others. Shortly after being elected, I embarked on a project and sunk a borehole in each of our 87 wards at a total cost N47.8 million. To complement my effort, the MDGs Office in 2013 sunk six additional boreholes within the zone. In December 2011, with N10 million, I commissioned a medical team that went round the zone and successfully carried out free surgery on 688 patients and purchased and installed a scanning machine at the General Hospital in Zango town of Zangon Kataf local Government Area at the cost of N1.3 Million. Students from the zone were not left out as 426 of them received scholarships of N10,000 each totaling N4.26 million.”

    She also disclosed that since assuming office, she has ensured that about 61 persons from her zone were gainfully employed both at the federal and Kaduna state civil service, while influencing various projects to the zone as constituency projects. Such projects include the N150 million library complex at the Kafanchan campus of the State University; construction of town halls at Kyeyya, Damkasuwa and Kubacha; construction of a clinic at Iddah in Kagarko Local Government ; supply and installation of three transformers at Garaje, Police Headquarters’ Barracks, Kafanchan and Kwoi towns; construction of two primary schools at Garaje-Kagoro of Kaura LGA and Jere of Kagarko LGA and supply of chairs to 4 primary Schools at Zangon Kataf Local Government, Kachia Local Government, Jema’a Local Government and Kagarko Local Government.

    A group called Concerned Realists of Southern Kaduna described the empowerment items as Greek gift. Convener of the group, John Danfulani said at a news conference days after the items were given to the beneficiaries that why the Senator represents the entire people of southern Kaduna irrespective of political affiliation, only PDP members were selected and given the items as strategies for the 2015 elections. Danfulani alleged that the Senator has not given quality leadership to the people of southern Kaduna as required.  But a southern Kaduna social critic, Bitrus Yakubu Bitiyong believes that those criticising the senator are not being fair to her at all. Bitiyong argued that since assuming office, Senator Nenadi Usman has given the people quality and proper representation and has done so much for the people. He noted that the recent empowerment programme was not the only empowerment that she has done in the last three years. He disclosed that the senator has given out scholarship to several southern Kaduna youths, provide boreholes and health facilities to her constituents. Responding to allegations that the empowerment was meant for her to return to the senate, he said “let me tell you that it will be difficult for anybody to beat Senator Usman at the moment. Anyone who wants to unseat her must come with a better manifesto than she has and I can assure you that if there is anyone with better credentials and manifesto, some of us will tell her and she will not feel bad about it”. He alleged that those criticising her are those who felt that they are not getting patronage from her. Some of the beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme dismissed the claims that they were PDP delegates. One of them who refused to disclose her name said “I am not a member of the PDP. I do not belong to any political party, but I am a southern Kaduna woman. What the senator has done is to put food on our table and we will remain grateful to her. I am short of words, but all I can say is that God will continue to bless her”.

  • A lift for women, youths

    A lift for women, youths

    Nwanosike Onu

     

    The Development Support Initiative (DSI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in partnership with Star Deep Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Chevron Nigeria Limited, has organised an empowerment programme for women and youths of Anambra State.

    The programme also had input of the state Ministry of Women Affairs and the Office of wife of Anambra State Governor, Mrs. Ebele Obiano.

    The NGO initially proposed to train 50 people, especially women and youths in skill acquisition, but the number increased to 100 as a result of the need to empower more people to be self-reliant.

    The DSI selected some of the participants from churches.

    The training is expected to imbue in the participants enough knowledge in soap making, bakery; bead-making, shoe-making and other relevant skills that will assist them eke out a living.

    A former participant of the programme, Mrs. Queen Efutubor, told our correspondent that she used the knowledge she acquired to  train inmates of the Sapele Prisons in 2007, adding that many of them are helping their fellow inmates.

    Mrs. Efutubor said: “Some of the inmates today in Sapele in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State are into hart making, soap making and production of Izal, among others materials. She said was proud to say she trained 50 of them.”

    She further said that after she was trained in Warri, she relocated to the community to impact the knowledge on the prison inmates, adding that all of them today see her as their “Messiah” anytime she visited the prison yard.

    Another facilitator of the programme, Winifred Kwentua Aboderin told our correspondent that the students will be equipped after the exercise to expand their businesses.

    When our correspondent visited the centre, people were still trooping in begging to be registered despite surpassing the proposed number because such a thing has been lacking in the state.

    Former Governor Peter Obi’s administration had claimed it had built a centre at Agu-Awka for such programme which did not work. Today, the environment has been taken over by reptiles.

    Speaking with our correspondent, the coordinator of the programme, Mrs. Jacqueline Yemi Odiadi, said the participants will be empowered financially to start the trade they were trained in during the programme.

    She further said the programme was packaged as part of Chevron’s corporate social responsibilities (CRS) programme.

    Odiadi said that DSI had proposed to train 50 people in Anambra in line with their mission and vision of equipping women and youths for economic development and self-reliance, but had to contend with an over-flow of close to 100 participants because of the high demand in the state.

    She said: “We are here in Anambra State to do what we know how to do best, that is to train women and the youth to acquire skills.

    “We have a lot of unemployed youths; even the graduates are unemployed. We have uneducated young men, women and ladies and we equally have those educated but probably, what they studied in the university is not fetching them any meaningful livelihood.”

    “These are skill gaps we try to address and we are focused. We are here to train a minimum of 50 women and youth for this programme but you can see that in Anambra State, this kind of programme is in high demand.

    “We are determined that this programme must go on and we are going to stretch ourselves as much as we can to make sure that everybody is trained because our budget does not cover 100 people                          . “What we want to ensure is that the first 50 to register will not only be trained, but will also be given starter packs. These starter packs are to help them to start their small-scale or micro-credit businesses immediately.”

    The beneficiaries, Odiadi said, would be trained free and be assessed by the trainers upon which performers would be certified and given starter packs containing the raw materials.

    One of the participants, Mrs. Ndidi Umeh Okolie from Amichi, in Nnewi South Local Government Area told our correspondent that she had started training on sewing, soap- making and few other things.

    She said after the training, she would go to her community to train others who may not have the same privilege they had through DSI.

    Another participant, Okoronkwo Chinedum from Ihiala Local Government Area also told our correspondent that he was focusing on cake-making and other bakeries.

    All the participants at the training programme thanked God for bringing the NGO to their area.

    According to the facilitators of the programme, the vision of DSI is to eradicate poverty through knowledge-based vocational and learning programmes, even as they said their mission is to equip the Nigeria women and youth both in urban and rural areas of the country through sustainable economic, educational, social and community development programmes.

  • Cancer signs women ignore

    Cancer signs women ignore

    Cancer, the word, many young women will rather not think about; dismissing it as a problem of older women. The religious ones will out rightly say “God Forbid” or “It’s not my portion” if the word was ever mentioned to them.

    Despite the denial, the rate of breast cancer in younger patients is on the increase. Prof. Clement Adebamowo, the Director, Society of Oncology and Cancer Research of Nigeria, SOCRON, once said “women of ages 25-64 are mostly at risk of cancer of the breast and cervical cancers. In a chat with Dr. Deji Adeyemi of All Souls Infirmary, Agege, he pointed out some of the warning signs women often overlook.

    They are as follows:

    • Coughing:

    One of the signs of lung cancer Dr. Adeyemi says is persistent coughing lasting well over three or four weeks. This type of cough should not be ignored.

    • Shortness of Breath/Difficulty breathing:

    If you ever find yourself struggling to catch your breath, this may be an indication of lung cancer, although not all cases of breathing difficulties are lung cancer.

    • Changes in nails
      Whoever knew that different types of cancer can be detected from the fingernails but as studies have shown, a brown or black streak or dot under the nail can indicate skin cancer, while enlargement of the ends of the fingers with nails that curve down over the tips can be a sign of lung cancer. Pale or white nails are also sometimes a sign of liver cancer.
    • Heavy/painful periods or bleeding between periods
      This could be a sign of endometrial or uterine cancer. If you ever experience this, it is important that you quickly ask for a transvaginal ultrasound.
    • Chest pain:
    • Continuous Bleeding:
    • Orange Breasts: Many women know their breast and do regular self examinations, but many are still not informed
    • Weight Loss:
    • Bloating:
    • Difficulty Swallowing:
  • BATNF trains women farmers

    BATNF trains women farmers

    British America Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) has trained 33 women vegetable farmers for better performance and increased productivity.

    Its General Manager,  Ms Abimbola Okoya, said the training will empower the farmers with in-depth knowledge of how, when and where to plant their crops; how to access loans, and apply fertilisers, among others, for better yield.

    Okoya said BATNF invited agriculturalists from the National Horticultural Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, to train the women.

    She said: “From our research, we found out that the women needed expert knowledge on vegetable farming. This is why we brought in experts from NIHORT to conduct the training. It is also in line with our mandate of contributing to sustainable agricultural development in the country.”

    Head of the NIHORT’s six-man team that trained the farmers, Dr Oluyemisi Adebisi-Adelani, said the training was aimed at “building the capacity of the women farmers on improved production technique of vegetables such as ‘ugu’ (fluted pumpkin), tomatoes and pepper.”

    A participant and head of the Oshodi Women Vegetable Farmers, Mrs. Veronica Daniel, said participants have benefitted immensely from the training and would begin to put into practice all that they have been taught by the experts.

    She enjoined other organisations to emulate BATNF in empowering women farmers in the country, “so that our lot can be better.”

    At the end of the training, the women were each awarded Certificate of Participation jointly endorsed